2013 All American Selections Winners

REFLECTING THE HOT URBAN FARMING TREND, the 2013 All America Selections winners are equally divided between edibles and flowers. All were judged with existing varieties and deemed superior in garden performance and taste. Seedless watermelon ‘Harvest Moon,’ for example, has the same yellow-dotted rind as ‘Moon and Stars’ but produces more fruit earlier on shorter vines. Another personal-sized melon, ‘Melemon,’ outscored popular honeydew melons, in part because of its unique, tangy taste. The third winner, ‘Jasper’ cherry tomato, was praised for high yield and disease resistance. Flower winners include ‘South Pacific Scarlet’ canna (pictured above),  vibrant-hued ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ echinacea and ‘Pinto Premium White to Rose’ geranium. Look for seeds from online retailers this year and seedlings in nurseries next spring.

Garden Planner: By Mary James